


Rhodey can see right through Tony (or where Tony is transparent and Rhodey figured everything out in the end)

by AnaGP



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Insecure Tony, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rhodey can see right through Tony, Rhodey loves Tony, Summer, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony-centric, beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7708822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnaGP/pseuds/AnaGP
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is acting stranger than usual during this vacation and Rhodey is going to figure out what is going on! Preferably without scaring off the genius and traumatizing everyone around them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhodey can see right through Tony (or where Tony is transparent and Rhodey figured everything out in the end)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Its_Just_Chemistry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Just_Chemistry/gifts).



> This work is a gift for Its_Just_Chemsitry because she's an amazing author and a very kind person. I hope you like it, this is my first attempt ever at writing Tony and Rhodey so I hope they're not too out of character. Enjoy! :)

In retrospect, Tony should have seen it coming. It had been too much, too nice, too fucking good for it to actually, actually last this long. Not that he was complaining. He had been willing to take whatever he could and run for the hills with it because he was not that big of a fool enough to believe that he would get to actually keep Rhodes forever. (And maybe Tony had actually been enough of a fool, considering he'd been thinking about fucking proposing to the man but, you know, nothing is ever fair on Tony's life. At all.) So, when he saw Rhodes talking to the woman in such a...warm and friendly manner all he could do was turn on his heel and leave because, really, what else was he supposed to do? It had been Tony's idiotic idea too. That they take this vacation to this wonderful, warm, sunny beach where lots of beautiful, gorgeous people were wandering around in their swimsuits and of course Rhodes would find someone who would catch his eye and then leave Tony because, seriously, Tony could hardly look at his own reflection in the mirror, with the reactor in the middle of his chest and all those ugly scars around it and- And now Tony was back in the room and wondering if maybe he should confront Rhodes but then again...Rhodey had always been nice to Tony and he was a right down mess so the best course of action, really, was to pack and get his not-currently-shining-due-to-lack-of-IronMan-suit ass out of there.

But Tony was a sucker for love. For all his playboy reputation he was a secret romantic who believed in true love and happily ever after because, really, how would he have remained sane if he didn't? And, of course, he stayed. So Tony changed into his swimming trunks and a light t-shirt and went out to the beach to look for Rhodes. When he stepped on the sand, Tony's stomach gave a painful twist because this was too much like that damned cave and what was he thinking when he said to Rhodes they should go to the beach because this was the worst- And then he saw Rhodey's smile and his inner rant died because Tony wanted to spent the rest of his life making the most important person in his life happy and Rhodey loved the beach (with the horrible salt water that was so sticky when he tried to dry off and the sand that got everywhere and the memories that resurfaced whenever he so much as looked at the- No.) and if Tony had to suffer in the beach just to see Rhodey smile, then so be it. Priorities.

"What took you so long?" Rhodey asked. He was covering himself in sunscreen and smiling at Tony, who was hiding behind his sunglasses and trying very hard not to go into a full-blown panic attack due to the noise of the waves crashing and maybe it was a good thing Rhodes had found a nice dame to run off with because he was a horrible mess.

"Some of us are not used to militar efficiency, sweetcheeks." Tony took off his sunglasses and wiggled his eyebrows at Rhodey. Rhodey laughed and Tony felt a pang of hurt spread in his chest because no matter what he did, he was not going to keep Rhodes forever, was he? "I'm going to take your daily advise seriously now and relax. So, off you go, honey bear." Tony made a shooing motion at Rhodes and flopped down on the towel. Rhodey laughed, said something completely endearing, gave him a kiss on the top of the head and got into the water.

Rhodey was an attractive man. Gentle. Attentive. Strong. Heck, he was all the things that mattered and more so...Tony knew, logically, that Rhodes swimming alone would attract people (women more than men, for some reason) to him like flies to maple syrup but the moment the woman from before approached him and made Rhodey laugh, something on the inside of Tony gave a painful twist because here he was, battling his demons to give Rhodey a nice vacation and he was still not enough. Then, Tony was suddenly assaulted by the terrifying idea that he might need to stop buying the cheap parmesan cheese that tasted like cardboard that Rhodey prefered and that he would have to reorganize his cars so as not to make the absence of Rhodey's Jeep even more noticeable.

By the time they were ready to have dinner, Tony was a little ball of nerves that was at the verge of a breakdown. How he had managed to look normal enough to not make Rhodes suspicious was beyond understanding but Tony knew he would break sooner or later. Rhodey and Tony were sitting on a retro diner, of all places, with Rhodey sipping his strawberry milkshake happily when Tony saw the woman from before walk towards their table. So, this was how it was going to go, wasn't it? Tony was not listening to the exchange between the woman and (not to sound dramatic but it's the only fair way to say it) the love of his life. Instead, he was looking at Rhodey and memorizing the way the light made his eyes shine, the smoothness of his lips, the shadows his eyelashes projected on his cheekbones; all those little things that he had been cataloguing and memorizing and loving since he'd been a skinny kid in MIT who had a black hole in his chest instead of a heart. And Rhodey had known that, hadn't he? He'd seen Tony, broken, bloodied and bruised and still wanted him. So, why now? Why was Rhodey giving up on him now? He wanted to take Rhodey's hand on his and feel his warmth one last time.

"I will have to decline that invitation again, ma'am. I'm currently- Tony?" Rhodes was giving him a puzzled look and Tony tried to give him a smile but it wouldn't reach his eyes.

"He won't mind, will you, Mr.Stark? I promise to give you your friend back tomorrow morning." The woman was speaking but neither man was listening to her now. Rhodey was studying Tony and Tony was trying not to lose his shit. And then, as if by some miracle of understanding, it dawned on Rhodes, his eyes widened and his mouth made a silent "oh."

"As I have said repeatedly during the course of the day, ma'am, I will not be taking a drink with you. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave right this moment because I'm here with the man I love and I don't take kindly to being interrupted." Rhodes voice was harsh and the woman let out an angry sigh before taking her leave.

"Tones?" Rhodey's voice had softened and he had taken one of Tony's hands in between both of his. Tony looked at him and blinked, slowly processing the scene that had played out in front of him.

"Rhodey." Tony said his name like a prayer. Or perhaps a promise of love. Or perhaps Tony had not spoken his name, perhaps he had simply weaved the air between them to sound like home and love and the future. Perhaps Tony was finally giving himself permission to keep this, to keep Rhodey, to not be afraid of what is to come because...maybe, maybe he was allowed to keep Rhodey. "Marry me." It was a statement more than a question but it was the hardest and yet the easiest thing to say.

Rhodey smiled and it looked as if the whole galaxy had taken residence on his eyes with its black holes and gaseous nebulas, they were shining so much. "Yes, Tony, of course. Yes. Yes. Always yes." So maybe Tony hadn't proposed in the way he intended to but that was alright, what mattered is that Rhodey had answered with a resounding yes.

Then they were kissing. Tony couldn't, for the life of him, remember how he managed to climb over the table and on Rhodes lap but those things were not important. Tomorrow he'd go out with Rhodes and have breakfast with him and they would talk of venues and of inviting their friends and family to the ceremony and then they'd smile and not agree on a single thing. It was perfect.

"I was thinking," Rhodey was smiling after the second round of love-making and Tony was smiling like the love struck puppy he not so secretly was. "Maybe we could go somewhere else for vacation next time? I don't want you freaking out on a beach again."

Tony smiled and called him an overprotective mama bear but secretly he was pleased. Of course Rhodey had noticed, how could he not? And if the next morning found them still awake with Rhodey peppering kisses to Tony's chest...well, they were on vacation, right? And engaged, to boot.


End file.
